Jeweled Essence
by starryshimmer
Summary: Ch3! Kagome's sleep is haunted by a strange, recurring dream of a boy named Inuyasha. Her curiosity brings her to an ancient well, where she enters the gateway to a mission that could cost her life and those of many others... IK, MS
1. The Dream

**Hey everyone! This is a rewrite (sort of, more like trimming it up a bit) of the first chapter, and I think it's much better than before, so please read and review!**

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The Dream

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_Not a bird scavenged the tranquil dark skies. Not the slightest of breezes danced in the scentless air. The entire earth appeared dead, lifeless. It was one of those nights where every living creature under the skies seemed to be soundly asleep, leaving nothing - save for the secretive whisper of the trees and woodlands, that which is kept so carefully hidden from human ears - to ruffle the perfect calm washing across the land. _

_The night itself radiated with a darkness reminiscent of coal, transforming the pure white snow carpeting the ground to a ghostly blue hue._

_It might have been for this unnaturally flawless, almost invulnerable silence surrounding the world that made the sudden outburst seem all the more unlikely. When an abrupt shaft of blue light shot across the night, ripping apart the dark, endless skies into two plains, seemingly never to join again, there was not one spectator to witness it. _

_It was hard to identify the strange, almost illusory presence roaming the night, but when one looked close enough, the unmistakable shape of a large bird could be detected._

_And it was undeniably no ordinary bird._

_With feathers that seemed to ripple with the very essence and tranquility of water, the bird piloted its immense figure across the plains with ease and grace that seemed impossible for a creature of its massive bulk. Its focused emerald orbs observed the scene before it with the mildest of interest, and its pointed, regal beak seemed to be sharp enough to cut through the very air before it._

_Dangling from the bird's silvery talons was a small golden-brimmed lantern, embroidered with foreign carvings. Strangely enough – if it was not already considered unusual for a bird to be carrying such a peculiar load – the lantern was lit not with fire from a candle, as was common in those days, but with the light projecting from a round purple gem trapped within its crystal walls._

_Clasping firmly onto its jeweled treasure, the majestic bird appeared to be gliding on a never-ending journey of uninterrupted flight. Its presence seemed to preserve the night, the very moment, to last an eternity._

_The creature eventually descended gracefully down to the banks of a small clearwater lake. Dipping its golden beak with dignity into the refreshing cool water, it took its time in quenching its large appetite._

_The next thing that happened seemed too bizarre to be true. _

_Very abruptly, just as the tip of the bird's beak barely grazed the surface of the lake for a second time, a fire that seemed to come from inside of the creature itself erupted and devoured the animal until it was but a pile of ashes._

_All that was left of the once majestic presence was its treasured purple lantern, embedded in the soft white snow._

_It cast a soft pastel lavender light upon its surroundings, revealing the presence of a brick well. The textured maroon bricks looked relatively new, and it alone seemed to be devoid of the paralyzing imprisonment of the winter snow. _

_Then, amid the placid whistle of a newly borne breeze, a female voice filled the air, teeming with emotion and sorrow. "I'll be waiting for you... Remember our promise, my love... My Inuyasha..." _

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Kagome Higurashi awoke with an unpleasant jolt and a painful headache. Rubbing the sleep from her tired violet-blue eyes, she frowned in apprehension. She pondered her strange, recurring dream with a troubled mind, attempting uselessly to comprehend it. It seemed to hold a deeper meaning than what had been shown, but she just could not put her finger on it.

_'The well...' _she suddenly remembered. It was the last scene of the dream; the ancient brick well. Only it had not been quite so ancient... Kagome felt her heart pounding in her chest. It was the only something in the dream that she recognized. She even knew where the old well was. Kagome felt her pulse quicken. It was definitely something that she had there. For the past month, the unsettling reverie was the only thing that haunted her sleep. She could not help but feel excited that she might be beginning to understand it. Kagome felt that once she fully understood the dream, she would be rid of it... or at least it would not trouble her quite so much anymore.

Silently resolving to make a trip to the well after school, Kagome glanced subconsciously at the plastic alarm clock perched atop her dresser. It's green lettering read 6:17 a.m.

"School starts at seven-thirty," she reminded herself listlessly. "Better get up!"

Reluctantly pulling herself out from the warmth of her bed, Kagome shivered as she made her way into the bathroom for a morning shower.

* * *

"Kagome!" her mother yelled loudly from downstairs. "Hojo's here to walk with you to school!"

Kagome hastily slipped on a sweater over her uniform, slung her bookbag carelessly over her shoulder, and scurried down the stairs.

Grabbing a piece of buttery toast from the kitchen, Kagome swung open the front door and rushed headlong into the bitter winter cold. The warm buttered toast turned soggy and cold immediately.

"Hey, Hojo," she mumbled breathlessly, shuddering slightly from the biting wind.

"Good morning, Higurashi," the green-eyed boy replied politely, the breeze ruffling his sand-brown hair.

"Let's go, then, shall we?" Kagome chattered, wrapping her scarf more securely around her. She began to walk ahead slowly, until she noticed the lack of Hojo's presence beside her. Almost impatiently, she turned around and beckoned to the boy, who seemed to be frozen in his steps. "Come on, or we're going to be late!" she called urgently. Her breath came out in puffs of white frost.

Hojo shook himself momentarily, seemingly to have finally snapped out of his trance. Blushing heavily, he hastily caught up with Kagome.

Kagome gave him a strange look.

Lowering his head slightly, his bottle-green eyes focused intently on his shoes, Hojo stammered, "H-higurashi, w-would you l-like to h-have dinner with m-me t-tomorrow?"

Kagome stared at the pink-faced boy before her. She had always suspected that Hojo had a little crush on her, but it seemed unlike his shy personality to be so forthright.

Hojo had lifted his head uncertainly, and was presently studying Kagome's expression with eager, bright eyes. He looked very much like a small child, pleading for candy. It would be cruel to turn him down.

And Kagome just did not have the heart to refuse.

"Sure," she replied finally. "Tomorrow evening, then?"

"Really?" Hojo confirmed happily, his entire face lighting up. "I'll pick you up at six, Higurashi!"

"Sure," Kagome answered politely. "Now, let's go. We don't want to be any later for class than we already are."

Hojo agreed, nodding his very-pink face with a hard-to-attain exuberance.

* * *

Kagome watched her friend's expression with amusement. It was priceless. Sango's dark brown eyes had definitely widened to their limit. She scribbled something onto a slip of paper, and, crumpling it up, tossed it back to Kagome. Monotonous Professor Edakawa did not notice a thing.

Kagome unfolded the note expertly and scanned the contents.

_'HOJO FINALLY ASKED YOU OUT? Wow. And I always thought he didn't have the guts to. Guess the guy deserves some credit, eh?'_

Kagome smiled and shook her head. Sango _always_ overreacted to everything. It wasn't like Hojo asking her out was such a big deal. Everyone in the school knew about Hojo's crush on Kagome.

_'It's no big deal. Anyway, remember that strange dream I told you about before? The one with the bird?'_

Kagome hesitated a moment before throwing the note to Sango. The first time she had discussed the dream with Sango, she had received a very strange reaction. There was little in the world that could unnerve Sango. But it had been obvious that the dream was one of those things.

But then, Kagome really could not blame her. Recurring dreams of such a strange stature appeared in novels and movies, but not in reality. It was haunting. The dream drew her into a strange world where she was helpless. Where she was desperate just trying to figure out what everything meant. And being one of the smartest girls in her class, Kagome was not used to not understanding.

Edging out of her seat slightly, she caught the note Sango had thrown.

_'Yeah, I remember. You said you kept on having that dream over and over. Why?'_

Kagome hastily wrote:

_'I had the dream again. But this time there was something different. It was longer, I guess, so I saw something I hadn't before. I recognized something. You know the old well by the abandoned shrine?'_

Kagome passed the note to Sango, and watched her expression carefully. Sango seemed to hesitate before replying. She shot Kagome an unreadable look, one that seemed to say 'You're insane.' But Sango never told anyone they were insane. Some of the stories she had told Kagome had been pretty unbelievable and out of the ordinary. In fact, the circumstances in which Kagome had met Sango were less than common.

Kagome recalled a day a few months earlier. She had been walking home from babysitting a kid of the Etsakes, when she had noticed a strangely dressed girl wounded by the old shrine. She had been clad in a black uniform of some sort. It had pink shoulder pads and some other designs Kagome could not remember.

Kagome had called an ambulance immediately, but the girl only remained conscious long enough to mutter thanks. Kagome had expected that to be her last encounter with the girl, so she was much surprised when she met her again a few days later at school.

The girl was a new student from Osaka, and her name was Sango Nakito. So was her brief introduction to the class, conducted with the monotonous but at the same time, shrill voice of Professor Edakawa.

What was it that she had written that got Sango so tensed up? Kagome felt herself descend even deeper into confusion. She unraveled the note hurriedly.

_'You're overreacting. I mean, it's just a dream, right? That old well by the shrine never has and never will be of any interest to anyone. Just forget about it.'_

Kagome frowned.

Suddenly, Professor Edakawa's sharp voice came back into her hearing. She was saying, "...be all for today. You may wait for the bell to ring for dismissal."

Kagome glanced at the round clock hanging on the wall. There were a good five seconds before the bell rang.

And when it finally came, the quiet room was suddenly noisy with the shuffle of students filing out the door.

Kagome caught up with Sango, who seemed to be walking very stiffly.

"Is something wrong?" Kagome asked with concern.

"No," Sango snapped. Then her voice softened, suddenly realizing her suspicious tone. "It's just, don't get too stressed out over a dream, okay? A dream's a dream, you know? They're not to be dealt seriously with. Why, just ask Miroku. He probably dreams about..." her voice trailed off. She threw up her hands in defeat. "I don't even want to know what Miroku dreams about."

The said boy appeared behind Sango. "Talking about me, Sango dear?" he said with a smirk. "Nothing bad, I hope."

Sango snorted. "What is there about you that's good?"

Miroku feigned a look of hurt. "Sango, your words cut me deep."

"I'll hurt you physically if your hand doesn't leave my butt," Sango muttered darkly. She stormed off hastily before the boy could do anything, if he _was_ going to do anything.

"She says that, but in truth, deep down she loves me," Miroku told Kagome confidingly.

Sango snorted at a short distance away. "Then that'll be _VERY_ deep down!" she said loudly.

Kagome couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Kagome had rushed off as soon as the final bell had rung, desperate to clear her mind of the naggings prodding her to inspect the ancient well.

Kagome walked up to the steps of the abandoned shrine uncertainly. The monument seemed almost foreboding. Just beyond the shrine was the clearing in which the old well was. Or at least where it used to be.

Kagome remembered playing by the shrine when she was a young girl. She had always been afraid of falling into the well, and therefore had never gotten too close to it for that reason.

Walking through the back door of the shrine, Kagome surveyed her surroundings. It was much the same as it had always been. Even under layers of snow, the clearing seemed alive.

It took hardly any effort for Kagome to find the well she was searching for, as her childhood memories reminded her only too well of its location. She brushed away the thick layer of snow covering the well's brim.

Kagome peered instinctively into the well. It was not very deep, and there was no water. Of course, it was winter, and the water would have frozen into ice, but there was no sign even of that. It seemed the well had been out of use long ago.

Kagome squinted. She almost thought she had seen something at the bottom of the well. It was the outline of... something...

Kagome gasped.

It was the outline of some**_one_**.

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**After all these changes, I actually think it's much better than before! Please leave me a comment! Suggestions would be appreciated! But no flames, please!**


	2. Haunted

**Yay! I finally got to update this story! It's just that school is starting soon, and I'm struggling with finishing my homework... Argh... I'm such a procrastinator... Well... Here it is! Enjoy!**

Haunted

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Kagome rubbed her eyes in rabid disbelief, desperately hoping that what she saw was an illusion. It would have been so much easier if it were. She knew that much.

But regardless of how many times her trembling mittened hands attacked her violet-blue orbs, her vision was greeted with the same unpleasant picture.

There was someone stuck at the bottom of the ancient well.

But that was impossible. It had to be. The old well behind the shrine had retired in disuse long ago. Kagome was even doubtful to think that it had ever been used. It had certainly never been in her lifetime.

When she was a little girl, she remembered sitting by the fireplace and listening to her grandfather's tales of "the old **_haunted_** well." In fact, her grandfather still told those stories, whenever he could catch a listener.

Kagome shook herself involuntarily, blinking glistening snowflakes from her eyelashes. She felt her chest tighten as she went over the possibility that a dead body was at the well's bottom. Perhaps it had been there for centuries, and was the reason the well had dried up. Perhaps... Kagome shook herself firmly.

She had evidently been listening to her grandfather's stories too much.

Whoever was at the bottom of the well was hurt, and Kagome could never forgive herself if she sat and did nothing while someone was possibly dying down there...

Kagome cursed most unladylike. If only she had a cell phone... She could call for help. Or she could run and find help right now, which would probably be the smarter thing to do. But Kagome felt her heart pound in her chest with a magnetic pull she had never felt before. There was something calling to her...

Perhaps... Kagome felt her heartbeat quicken... Perhaps this was what her dream had been leading up to...

Peering reluctantly into the well, Kagome silently calculated its depth. If it was a shallow distance, she could jump in and inspect the wounded person, and perhaps put her first aid classes to use. She found that the well's floor indeed appeared just a few feet down. And just when she was about to climb up to the brim -

That was when she heard it.

It was a boy's voice. But the way it came across sounded strange. It was like hearing an echo, a mere faded copy of a real voice.

And Kagome winced at the words.

With more annoyance than anger, the voice seemed to contain a slight growl in its tone, "Come back out here, you little wimp! When I find you, I'm gonna tear the flesh from your bones!"

Kagome shuddered. Whoever **_that_ **was sure sounded rude.

Resolving that it was probably just a particularly obnoxious kid from the neighborhood, Kagome ignored it, and leapt into the well, after confirming its depth one last time.

She landed on her rear roughly, having failed her attempt at a graceful descent. She felt immensely grateful for the snow carpeting the well floor, for it had cushioned her fall greatly.

Kagome took a deep breath, inhaling the earth-mixed-with-frost smell of the well's interior. It was surprisingly dark, and she realized just then what a risk she had put on herself. From the well's brim, little could be seen of its bottom, so she could have easily miscalculated the well's depth and broken her neck. Or worse. Also, as the well's interior had been victim to the past month's snow blizzards and storms, the layer of snow at the bottom could have been very thick. Thick enough to suffocate a five-foot-eight seventeen year-old like Kagome. It could have probably been even thicker than that.

Kagome shuddered uncontrollably.

She had been lucky. **_Very_** lucky. The well was just a few feet deeper than she had thought it was, and the layer of snow at the bottom only reached the bottom of her knees.

But she silently vowed never to do something as rash and foolish again.

She felt around in the dark with her hands. From the top, she had only caught a glimpse of something reddish-orange, and immediately took it for human hair. Now she felt naive, as the flicker of color she had noticed could have been anything – a bottle cap, a coin... anything.

But her hands eventually did come in contact with something. But it didn't feel like hair. It was coarse and tangled, and felt rather like... fur. Kagome withdrew her hands immediately with a sharp intake of breath. Before she could resort to screaming for help, she suddenly felt as if the ground beneath her were giving way.

Kagome clawed desperately at the cold textured walls for support, scraping old snow and new off of the deep burgundy brick.

Then she experienced a feeling that she could only describe as out-of-body. It felt as if she was floating, maybe even flying... and she wondered with a sinking heart – and stomach – whether this was the end of her. She absently remembered the saying "curiosity killed the cat," and wondered how people would react to "curiosity killed the Kagome."

Her stomach lurched even more with fear.

"I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, please..." she could not help but sob softly. She was so concentrated on closing her eyes as tight as was possible, that it was a while before she realized the strange feeling and earthquake-like experience was gone.

Kagome pulled herself gingerly into a sitting position, finding to her mild surprise that she had been flat on her back. Rubbing her bruised arms and brushing grime, dirt and whatever else off of her back, she squinted her eyes in concentration, trying to figure out just what had happened.

Kagome was surprised to discover that the dark well she had been roaming in just a moment before had become full of a dusty kind of light. She traced her hands uncertainly over the well's rough bricks.

They seemed newer... and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"T-the snow..." Kagome stumbled on her words. The well's interior... the well's floor... where a moment before it had been covered in a thick layer of snow, now it was as dry as it was possible to be. In fact, the entire well appeared to be sunbathed.

Kagome clasped a hand to her forehead.

"This is too confusing," she muttered. She took a look around, and found, not surprisingly, that she was completely alone.

Kagome ran these thoughts through her head in a desperate attempt to make sense of things.

A peculiar thought came to her.

Perhaps it had been a dream. Everything. Perhaps it was summer, and everything she had experienced of winter in the past few months had been a long dream. Perhaps she had never met Sango nor Miroku.

Kagome felt her heartbeat quicken suddenly.

But how long had she been asleep, then? At how, exactly did she end up at the bottom of a well?

Her thoughts were suddenly disturbed with a very loud train of curses, seeming to come from somewhere near the well's brim. Kagome shook by instinct, and lifted her head toward the top of the well.

'_That voice,'_ she thought with quickened breathing. It was the same voice of the 'obnoxious kid' she had heard a few minutes ago. When she had been standing by the outside of the well... where there had been snow.

Kagome shook her head in frustration. This was just too confusing.

She struggled and pushed all thoughts out of her mind and resolved to climb out of the well first. Then she would worry about everything else.

Kagome nodded. It sounded like a plan. Grasping hold of the rope ladder tied against the well's wall, she nervously started climbing.

She did not remember the ancient well having a ladder – most wells did not – and wondered if it was just another trick of her imagination. Perhaps she would climb up halfway only to discover she was standing on nothing, and come tumbling back down.

Kagome bit her lip in concentration as she focused on climbing.

'_I'm being unreasonable,'_ she told herself. _'How can something that feels this real just be an illusion? It has to be real.'_

Kagome felt a cold sweat begin to build up on her face, mingling with her hair, which was already a jumble of tangles.

Although it seemed like forever – mostly because of the dread Kagome felt about seeing what was beyond the safety of the well – the brim became closer and closer, and eventually Kagome was able to climb out.

With a sigh of relief, she flung herself onto the soft, luscious green grass surrounding the area. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the light scent of cherry blossoms that perfumed the air, leaving her with a feeling of light-headedness.

"There you are, you little bastard!" a rough voice interrupted Kagome's momentary relaxation.

Before she could say anything – or even open her eyes for that matter – a strong hand grabbed the collar of her school uniform, and lifted her up into the air, none too gently.

Kagome gasped when something sharp began to dig into the back of her neck. She could almost smell the blood seeping through her blouse.

Instinctively, but slowed with exhaustion, Kagome lifted her head to meet the gaze of her attacker.

**Wow. That took me a long time to write. Not much dialogue in this chapter. Anyway, did you like it? My writing probably needs a lot of improving, so suggestions would be greatly appreciated!**


	3. Eyes of Gold

**I finally updated this one! Ah... it's been a looonnnnggg time since writing this story! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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.:Eyes of Gold:.

A pair of annoyed but inquisitive eyes clashed with Kagome's curious lilac ones. But what struck her most about them was their intense color – wintry gold flecked with probing amber. Kagome knew instantly that those inquisitive golden orbs had stolen her heart at first glance. She could not describe her feelings as anything less than captivated. Golden eyes… it was so unheard of… and they were just so enchanting and rich in color… she ran the thought slowly through her mind that their owner was no less spectacular.

A ripple of silvery-white hair cascaded from the boy's head, where two ears sat enthroned, almost furry in appearance.

Kagome felt her last drop of sanity leave her at the sight of those puppy-dog ears, as she was suddenly overwhelmed, in her exhausted state, to **_touch_** her attacker.

The white-haired boy watched in something akin to shock as the girl lifted her head weakly, her violet eyes dimmed and dilated from exhaustion. He seemed frozen in his position, one hand wrapped securely around his victim's neck, and other hand ready to strike, when the girl in his grip reached for his head with two arms almost limp in appearance.

At a loss of what to do, the boy shuddered impulsively as soft hands brushed against his ears.

Consciousness was the next to go. Kagome abruptly fell motionless, aware only of the pain digging into her neck as she went out cold.

"No fucking way…" the white-haired boy muttered, frowning apprehensively as he brushed away a lock of Kagome's perspiration-stained hair.

* * *

The aroma of dried herbs was the first thing her senses were introduced to as she slowly felt her body coming back to her.

_'Cowslip, thyme, peppermint, sage…'_ Kagome subconsciously named the scents attacking her nose, a hand reaching for the back of her head gracelessly. She uttered a sudden groan of pain when her numb fingers came in contact with the back of her neck. There was something powdery coating her sore, ripped skin – she could feel it.

She came into a sudden realization that she was laying on her stomach. On a scratchy lump of what felt like straw veiled by a thin cotton cloth.

Kagome forced her eyes open. But it was hard, and she didn't accomplish it successfully until after blinking several times.

She surveyed the room she was in somewhat nervously. How had she gotten here? Perhaps she had been spotted sleepwalking near the well, and had been brought to a hospital after hurting herself in the process?

Kagome frowned. But, it _did_ smell like a hospital room. The only thing missing was… the white walls, the white bed, the white desk, the white covers, and the roses in a vase.

The room she was currently habituating had walls of primitive wood, unpainted and bare in tiles. The bed was white, but somehow yellowy so. And the desk sure was cleverly built, there was no mistake about that, but it lacked the modernity she had been hoping for in its makeshift damp wood. She didn't even bother to think about the rest of her expectations that had been shattered.

So this was what a real hospital room was like. The smell was refreshing and welcome, that was for sure, but…

Kagome jerked her head around abruptly – and painfully – as the sound of echoing footsteps approached steadily closer. On impulse, she immediately closed her eyes and feigned sleep.

"She is still not awake," the voice of an old woman spoke, her tone withered and kind in a slight way. Kagome could almost hear her shake her head.

She silently wondered if the old woman was talking to herself.

It was a mere span of ten seconds before the woman spoke again. "You have really done it this time, Inuyasha."

There was a pause, but from the labored breathing, Kagome could practically predict when the responder would reply.

"Feh. Thought she was Shippo." Kagome felt her whole body turn tense. She was almost certain that this was the voice of her attacker from earlier. That white-haired boy whose golden eyes had stolen her heart… almost. So his name was Inuyasha… Where had she heard that before?

An unmistakable snort came from the direction of the old woman. "I sure do not see the resemblance."

"She was so messed up and crumpled up, her hair all tangled and with reddish dust and everything in it, anyone could've made the same mistake."

"I highly doubt that, Inuyasha." A hint of amusement tainted the woman's otherwise scolding tone.

Kagome, meanwhile, was seething in her feigned sleep. _'Messed up? Crumpled up? His hair was no gumdrop, either!'_ But she had to admit that it had been true – all those things about her. She had, indeed, been in a tattered state.

She suddenly was aware that the pair had come to a resolute silence. Perhaps they had left…? Kagome didn't dare move a muscle.

"You know, she bears a resemblance to my sister," the old woman suddenly said, interrupting the quiet.

No response came from the Inuyasha's direction.

When he suddenly spoke, Kagome could truly confirm that he was the same boy who had attacked her. With a manner like his, it was unmistakable.

"Feh. Whatever. I just came to make sure I hadn't killed her. But really, I have no time to waste on human bitches."

Kagome felt her face heat up with anger at the comment. And from someone she'd never known before!

Unfortunately for her, Inuyasha suddenly smirked. She could positively hear it in his voice.

"There are strong heat waves practically radiating from her," the boy suddenly said, sounding smug. "She's awake."

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as tight as possible, but unfortunately, she could not erase what had just been said. Somewhat reluctantly, and definitely with dread, she slowly allowed light to reach her pupils.

A stern old woman with a black eye patch and white and red robes was standing by her 'bed.' Not far from here stood the golden-eyed boy, staring at her indifferently.

Kagome closed her eyes and screamed.

In a flash, a hand came in contact with her mouth, holding it shut without much consideration for her comfort. Kagome opened her eyes to find herself looking into the annoyed golden ones of her previous assaulter.

"What the hell are you trying to do? Make us all deaf?" he snapped at her.

Kagome's eyes filled with unwelcome tears. She hated it. Why did she have to cry at a time like this? It was just so embarrassing… to be seen in this weakened state by her enemy. She attempted to narrow her eyes, but failed miserably, looking more pathetic than ever.

A brief expression of shock flitted past Inuyasha's face, before it turned to disgust. He hastily retrieved his hand.

"You've dirtied my hand with your pathetic sniveling," he complained, earning a sharp look from the old woman next to him.

"It w-wasn't a dream," Kagome managed in a whisper, wiping tears from her face furiously with the sleeve of her blouse.

"What was that?" the old woman inquired politely.

But Inuyasha had evidently gotten the message as he smirked, disgust dripping from his expression.

He received quite a surprise when Kagome hopped up abruptly from her bed and slapped him squarely across the face.

"Y-you j-jerk! Where have you brought me? And who **_are_** you?" she demanded, taking a pause in her crying due to her strongly-felt anger.

"I should ask you the same question," Inuyasha muttered, a hand rubbing his reddened face, where Kagome had previously left her mark. She silently noted that his fingers were clawed, but before she could inquire about them, he spoke again. "But no," his voice suddenly took on a serious tone. "I've got a better one. Why don't you stop pretending and reveal yourself, **_Kikyo_**?"

Kagome shrunk back. He was insane. She could see it in his eyes – the anger and hatred, all directed at her. It was definitely scary. She could almost sense the bloodlust he was fighting to restrain.

Was it just her, or were his eyes more red now, than gold? A wrinkled hand made its way between her and Inuyasha. It was the old woman.

"Run," she said in a bare whisper. "But try to keep quiet about it. He can't see you, but he can hear you."

Kagome shot her an incredulous look, wondering if she had been landed in a mental hospital instead of a regular one, but obeyed nonetheless. She watched in horror as Inuyasha, eyes blood red now, sniffed the air.

One glance from his bloody gaze, and she was off. Running for her life.

Kagome's blood turned cold as she felt familiarly sharp claws fasten around her neck. But it was different this time. He was really trying to strangle her this time, and she knew it. Tears streamed down her face as she felt the razor sharpness sever her skin, her hands fumbling uselessly, unable to free herself, and her kicks having no affect on the bloodthirsty boy.

"Get out of there!" the old woman's voice came up from behind them, shouting urgently. "Tell him to do something!"

Kagome scrunched up her face in pain as she struggled to get away. With nothing left to lose, she tore at Inuyasha with everything she had.

"Geroff a me you stufid piesch of sit!" she mumbled, her tightened throat constricting her from proper speech. When finally the grip on her neck loosened, she slapped Inuyasha across the face. "Back-stabbing asshole!" she managed to screech, gasping for breath. "What is **_wrong_** with you?"

To her surprise, there was no response. Kagome looked up from the ground to see Inuyasha sprawled on the ground, muttering curses under his breath. When he was finally able to stand up, he still didn't say anything. Instead, he glanced at his hands, bloodied with the wounds inflicted on Kagome's neck, before meeting her gaze for a mere second. Then he walked away.

Tears of relief filled Kagome's eyes as she stood, transfixed.

Eyes of gold, they were.

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**Well, this was sort of a filler chapter, to piece together the transition of Kagome being in her side of the well to going to Inuyasha's side. Hope you liked it! Suggestions and comments are appreciated! But no flames, please! Thanks!**


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